Climate leaders at Seattle gala urge defeat of Initiative 2117 to protect Climate Commitment Act

Savitha Redipathy, deputy director of Climate Solutions, opened a gala in Seattle on the unceded traditional lands of the Suquamish, Muckleshoot and Duwamish, and framed the organization's mission as defending recent climate policy gains.

In remarks that followed, Climate Solutions leaders and national figures pushed a single theme: voters should reject Initiative 2117, which speakers said would repeal the state’s Climate Commitment Act. "Protect the Climate Commitment Act by voting no on initiative 21 17," James Williams, director of Climate Solutions’ Climate Champions program, told the audience.

Why it matters: Speakers said the Climate Commitment Act has delivered measurable benefits—funding for clean transportation, home electrification and investments targeted to communities that face the worst pollution—and that repeal would halt those programs. "The Climate Commitment Act means things to real people in the state of Washington," Gov. Jay Inslee said, citing heat pumps in hospice care and plugged-in ship berths at the Port of Seattle.

Gina McCarthy, former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the first national climate adviser to the Biden administration, framed the fight as both a defense of state policy and part of a broader national moment: she praised federal actions such as the Climate Corps and the Inflation Reduction Act, saying those policies are mobilizing private investment and jobs. "We have to do everything in our power to defeat 2 1 1 7," McCarthy said.

Speakers highlighted concrete examples and numbers from recent policy work. Ina Abiodun, a Climate Solutions board member and president of VertuLab, noted a new Breaking Barriers Collaborative and a 12-week Fleet Decarbonization Accelerator that organizers say has graduated 40 organizations representing more than 15,000 vehicles. McCarthy cited figures presented at the event about the Inflation Reduction Act's nationwide economic effects: $352,000,000,000 in private-sector investment and 272,000 clean-energy jobs, as she described them.

Organizers also named opponents and alleged backers of repeal efforts. Greg Smalls, executive director of Climate Solutions, identified a hedge fund manager he named "Brian Haywood" and said the campaign was allied with "MAGA" state Republican leadership and industry groups; he urged attendees to mobilize to protect state policy.

Speakers repeatedly tied the policy debate to environmental justice. Inslee said the Climate Commitment Act directs roughly 40% of proceeds to disproportionately affected communities and recounted a Duwamish Valley finding he said showed asthma rates rising closer to pollution sources and an associated reduction in average lifespan.

The evening mixed policy appeals with fundraising and recognition: organizers thanked sponsors (including Microsoft, Amazon and Puget Sound Energy), recognized accelerator graduates and invited attendees to stay and network. The program closed after Gov. Inslee's speech with an invitation to remain in the space until 8:30 p.m.

What’s next: The gala served as a fundraising and organizing moment for a broader 'no' campaign against Initiative 2117; speakers asked guests to contact voters and support coalition outreach in the coming months.